The Vampire Knife
by Peonywinx
Summary: Vampires are invincible. The only knife that could kill them vanished over two centuries ago. But when Alice has a vision, she thinks it's been rediscovered, and she would do anything to protect the one she loves...even if it costs her her life.
1. Running Away

**_A/N: Yesss! I'm back! With my first ever story in the Twilight fandom! I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, The Vampire Knife!_**

**_

* * *

_The Vampire Knife**

**Chapter 1: Running Away**

The knife slid through smoothly, easily, even though it shouldn't have been able to. It should have stopped dead upon contact with his hard, granite skin, but it didn't. It went straight in almost silently while she watched, transfixed, in horror.

He stared at the dagger protruding from his chest, his hand suddenly weak as he tried to keep it from going any deeper. His killer paid no heed, relentlessly pushing the blade in, in, until it reached his heart. He stiffened as his hand fell away, then slid off the knife with a soft sigh as he collapsed to the floor, his blond hair fanning out.

She leapt to his side gracefully – though she couldn't care less about being graceful at that moment – her cry one of utter anguish and loss. He was already dead – she knew that – yet perhaps some part of her desperately hoped, as she held his still hand, that her will and love could bring him back to life.

* * *

"Alice? Alice? Alice!"

"No!" Alice jerked awake from her trance violently, upsetting the Scrabble® board and scattering the tiles over the table and floor.

"Alice! What's wrong? What did you see?" Jasper was holding her protectively by the shoulders, looking deep into her amber eyes.

"I –" Alice broke off, quivering as she recalled her vision. Jasper's grip tightened.

"What is it?" he asked. "Alice, tell me."

Alice buried her face into his chest, her body heaving with dry sobs.

"Alice?" Jasper gently stroked her back. "Alice, what did you see?"

"It's horrible", Alice replied at last, pulling away slightly.

"What is?" Jasper demanded in exasperation. "Alice, for goodness' sake, tell me what you saw."

"You." It came out in a whisper.

Jasper looked puzzled. "Me?"

"You died", Alice continued in the same soft voice, trying to be as detached as possible.

Jasper couldn't conceal his astonishment. "Did we get into a fight with some other vampires?" he asked gently.

"No…I don't know…I couldn't see…all I saw was that knife…he stabbed you, killed you…" Alice trembled and squeezed her eyes shut.

"A knife?" Jasper was getting more and more confused. "Alice, honey, you know knives can't kill us. The blade can't even pierce our skin."

"It wasn't an ordinary knife", Alice insisted. "The blade was bone, hard bone, and the hilt was made out of stone. I saw it, Jasper; somehow, it killed you." She looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"Alice", Jasper said gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, look at me…I'm not going anywhere, okay? I promise I'll be here. I love you."

She let him embrace her, and kissed him back when he kissed her, but her mind was already wandering far away, making plans. She was glad Edward had gone hunting with Carlisle and Esme and Emmett and Rosalie, glad that she and Jasper had elected to stay behind and spend some time together, since they had eaten yesterday; because Edward wasn't around to read her mind. Because she knew, if any of her family found out about what she was going to do, they would stop her, and she couldn't let that happen – she had to protect Jasper, had to make sure that knife never found its way to him.

"Jasper", she said presently, "Could you pack up the Scrabble®? I'm going to go get something upstairs."

"Sure." He smiled as she rose, and she automatically smiled back, although her heart plummeted inside her; would she ever see him again?

She pushed all such thoughts to the back of her mind and ascended the stairs as fast as she dared with him watching her. She could not let him get suspicious. Even as she made her way to the room she shared with him, however, she knew that if she could cry tears, at that moment, she would.

* * *

Jasper heard his family returning before they entered – not because of his enhanced hearing, but because they were joking and ribbing each other loudly.

"I still think you should have stuck to your grizzlies; there wasn't any other lion around the area", Edward complained.

"You're always saying I should try something new – I did." Jasper could hear the gleeful grin in Emmett's voice. "Who knows, maybe the mountain lion will be my favourite after all."

"You're disgusting", Edward told him.

"Speak for yourself, mind-reader", Rosalie said, coming to her mate's defence. "You should see the way you and Bella act when you're in the same room – it's sickeningly sweet."

"Now, Rosalie", said Esme, "You should be happy that Edward has someone to spend eternity with."

"Oh, sure." Rosalie flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's a mixed blessing, though. I'll have to make the most out of the three weeks before Bella marries you and moves in and you start spending every single minute of the day with her."

"Well, at least Bella and I –" Edward started to retort. He stopped midway through his sentence as he picked up on Jasper's worried thoughts. "Alice saw _what_?" he demanded, coming to a halt in front of the table, across from where Jasper sat on the couch.

"What is it, Edward?" Carlisle asked in his smooth, clear voice.

"Alice saw Jasper being killed", Edward answered shortly, evicting worried glances from the rest of the Cullens. Then he frowned. "But it doesn't make any sense. He _can't_ be stabbed with a knife."

"A knife?" Emmett repeated.

"Impossible", Rosalie declared flatly.

"Alice said it wasn't an ordinary knife", said Jasper. "She said the blade made out of bone, and the hilt was stone."

Carlisle closed his eyes and sighed deeply in recognition.

"Do you know this knife?" Esme asked her husband.

"Know it?" said Carlisle. "I wielded it."

"What?" Emmett exclaimed.

"It's a long story", Carlisle said.

"One that I think we need to know", Esme insisted.

"Yes", he agreed. "Under the circumstances, you do need to know. Why don't you all sit down, and I'll explain…

"I'm sure you've all heard of Mary I of England", Carlisle began once everyone was seated.

"Bloody Mary", Edward agreed.

"Well, yes. She earned that name because of her intolerance for religious views that differed from Catholicism. She had almost three hundred people burned at the stake for their beliefs and persecuted hundreds of other Protestants. But that's not the only reason she's called that. She was also the ruler who commanded the creation of the Vampire Knife, or Gideon's Blade."

"The Vampire Knife?" Rosalie repeated.

"Yes. In the mid-sixteenth century, as you know, people very much believed in vampires, as did Mary. An intolerant woman, she found our kind abhorrent. She knew how difficult we are to kill, so she commissioned the head scientist in her court to create a weapon that would work against us. The scientist tried many different experiments and came up with hundreds of possible theories. Finally, he hypothesized that the only thing that could pierce a vampire's skin was something from another vampire. He and ninety-nine others set out to try to kill Gideon, a three-month-old newborn vampire, one of the strongest around.

"Gideon was very difficult to kill. Almost all the hunting party died in the attempt. Finally, though, three brave men managed to position him in such a way that the others could get at his neck. Those men were all killed, but their sacrifice enabled their teammates to break Gideon's neck.

"The head scientist had been among those that died, so his assistant took over the task. He broke a bone from Gideon's arm and filed it until it was as sharp as any knife. Then he had a hilt carved out of stone and fitted onto the blade. Thus the Vampire Knife came into existence.

"The next time vampires attacked the city, looking for an easy meal, the knife was tested against them. It worked, and it became the only weapon in the world that could kill a vampire. The vampires were driven back, and the knife was presented to Mary, who had it sworn in as the official vampire slayer. The knife then went on to almost completely depopulate England of vampires.

"Mary tried to get more knives made, but she died before she could convince the people, and the project died with her. Her sister and successor, Elizabeth, was far more tolerant than she was, and ordered the knife to be kept away in a museum, as vampires had not come to England for over two years.

"The legend of the Vampire Knife, however, would not die, and an Englishman who was intent on killing all vampires stole it away one night. The knife was then passed to and fro between vampire hunters. My father himself came into possession of it and gave it to me to wield that night when I was turned.

"I don't know what happened to the knife. Presumably, one of my fellow hunters picked it up and continued passing it around. Over time, though, as people's belief in vampires faded, the knife's prominence diminished, and it eventually vanished altogether. No one knows where it is now, but Alice's vision might point to the fact that it has been rediscovered by someone somewhere", Carlisle finished.

"Where is Alice?" Edward asked suddenly.

Jasper frowned. "She said she was getting something upstairs, but I haven't seen her since before you got back."

Edward leapt up and dashed up the stairs while Emmett and Rosalie ran outside. A few seconds later Edward came back downstairs, looking grim.

"She's gone", he reported. "She took some money and clothes and ran."

"What!" Jasper exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"Her trail ends at the river", Emmett added as he came back in with Rosalie.

"She's thrown us off", Rosalie said.

"She left this for you", Edward told Jasper, handing him a small note with his name penned on it.

_Dear Jasper,_

_I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have to find the knife and make sure it doesn't come anywhere near our family. I need to make sure you'll be okay. Don't be mad. I love you._

_Alice_

"What is she _thinking_?" Jasper demanded, beginning to pace.

"What exactly did she see in her vision, Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

"She just said there was that knife…and me…and that I died." He was surprised how calmly he could say that word. His worry for Alice had eclipsed everything else.

"Nothing else?" Carlisle pressed, his brow furrowing.

"No, nothing." Jasper thought. "She did say it was a 'he'."

"Where do you think she'll go?" Rosalie asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "I don't know. It's impossible to say. Oh, I have a few theories…she might know where the knife is and could be going to get it…or she might have seen who was going to kill Jasper and she's chasing after him to make sure it doesn't happen… she might even have seen nothing more than what she told Jasper, and just needed to get away so we wouldn't be able to stop her from going if she did get more information. But without knowing exactly what she saw in her vision, we can't be sure; and anyway, we wouldn't be able to chase her. She's long gone by now."

He sounded frustrated – which was not something often heard in his voice. Esme placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Jasper could feel her – and everyone else's – worry.

"But she could be killed!" Jasper started pacing again. "_Why _did she go if she knew it would be so dangerous?"

"Love is blind, Jasper", said Carlisle. "Alice would do anything to protect you, even if it meant trading her life for yours."

"No!" Jasper cried, coming to a sudden halt. "No! She can't do that; we can't let her!"

"Jasper, calm down", Edward interjected. "Think about it rationally; we can't chase after her, we can't track her, we can't intercept her, and we have no idea what she might see. That severely restricts our ability to act."

"What _can _we do?" Emmett demanded.

Carlisle sighed and passed a hand over his eyes. "At the moment, without more information, there's only one thing we can." He looked around at his family. Edward's eyes were narrowed, knowing what his father figure was thinking.

"We have to alert the Volturi."

* * *

**_A/N: Ah-haha! Welcome, readers, to the _**_Twilight Zone. **(hums **Twilight Zone **theme). Okay, first of all, you guys know what to do, don't you? You don't? Well, I'll tell you - you click on that link at the bottom that says "Review" and write feedback. Reviews are a writer's lifeblood, don't ya know? (wink). Oh, and for all you readers who voted for **Capped Murder, **the **CSI:NY/NCIS **crossover, I'm sorry I haven't posted it yet, but I watched **Eclipse **the other day and the idea for this story just hit me full force like a ton of bricks. I couldn't not write it. You know how it is. Anyway, I promise I will write and post **Capped Murder **someday, but until then...well, at least I don't post incomplete stories, so when I finally do post, you won't have to fear a year-long hiatus midway through or something like that.**_

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own **_The Twilight Saga. Twilight _**and all its characters belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer, and I would never dream of taking that beautiful owenership away. She was the one who came up with the idea that's been giving us Twihearts so much pleasure.**_**  
**_


	2. The Volturi

**Chapter 2: The Volturi**

Alice paused in the middle of the river before making her way to a clump of trees that looked exactly the same as everything else in the forest. Stripping off her leggings, she squeezed them dry and hung them on a branch before slipping into another pair of pants from her bag. Then she sniffed the air for something to eat. The water hadn't been very deep – only about waist high – but running upstream in the river was tiring, and if she was going on this quest, it would be wiser to travel on full strength.

The musky scent of a leopard reached her nose, and she smiled, remembering Edward's preference for predatory cats. She'd always preferred deer or elk herself.

_What the heck, _she thought, taking off on a sprint in the leopard's direction. _If I'm going to do this alone, maybe the blood of a natural predator will be better for me. _She knew it was a silly thought, but she didn't really care – it was still good for her morale.

Within minutes, she'd come into view of the leopard, pulled it down from the tree it was climbing, and latched on to its neck. She wasn't hungry enough to drain it dry of blood, so it survived her attack. She released it, watched it wobble around for a while, then turned and ran back to her impromptu camp.

She was quite sure she was safe here, so she sat down, cross-legged, leaned her back against a tree, and concentrated as hard as she could on the brief glimpse she had caught of the face of Jasper's attacker. However, it only brought back unpleasant memories.

_Jasper. _She was sure he'd read her note by now, and she felt guilty thinking about how he must be worrying about her. _I'm so sorry, Jas, but it has to be this way. If you came with me, you'd be killed, and I can't let that happen. _

She knew there was a very distinct possibility that in her attempt to locate the bone knife and Jasper's would-be killer, she might be killed herself, but somehow, that paled in significance with what would happen if she didn't do it.

_I'll do it, Jas. If it means keeping you safe, I'll give up my life without a second thought. _But could she do that to him? She knew how she would feel if he were the one to die; he would undoubtedly feel the same way. And what about Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie? What about Bella? Bella would be heartbroken. She would join a family with a sister missing.

Alice sighed and opened her eyes to gaze at the green, leafy canopy above her. _Come on, Alice, concentrate. You're never going to get anywhere until you get another vision._

She knew she didn't have much time. Her vision had been clear and vivid, which meant it would come true in a few days at the very most. She closed her eyes and thought again about Jasper's assassin; that hard face, those cruel eyes, and the way he'd mercilessly pushed the knife deeper into her love's chest…

* * *

Images rushed by, fleetingly. A lone chair in an empty room. An open door. A dark, closed-in space. Jasper, his face worried. Edward frowning; Carlisle relating the story of the Vampire Knife. Rustling leaves; the sound of the water; Emmett and Rosalie looking for her. Bella, saddened and almost crying. Jasper again, running through the woods, heading north to the airport with Carlisle and Edward.

Brief, fleeting glimpses of various futures, the result of many different people making many different choices. Then the scene changed, as the flickering images faded into a single vision.

It was a cold, grey room, sparsely furnished. The sign over the door was French, and the stone floor was dusty. Though the building was deserted, Alice could see one person within the room, sitting on a wooden chair. She opened the door and went in.

The person on the chair was pale, with a shock of black hair that swept down the sides of his face. His eyes were hard and bright red. On his lap was the bone knife she'd seen. His lip curled into a small, smirking smile when he saw her.

"Hello, Alice", he said in a low, chilling voice that was all the more menacing for its beauty and calmness. "I've been waiting for you."

The sun moved out from behind a cloud, casting through the grimy window a ray of light that made his skin shimmer just as he lunged at her, knife in hand.

* * *

Alice opened her eyes once she was sure the vision was complete. She hadn't seen if she was going to die, so it was safe to assume that further decisions had to be made before she could discern it. For now, though, she knew enough. She had to get to France.

Picking up her bag and now-dry leggings, she started off again, running with inhuman speed towards Seattle.

* * *

Aro looked up as the door opened and Felix and Demetri led in his three visitors. He stood up in delight when he saw who it was.

"Why, Carlisle, old friend!" he exclaimed in pleasure. "How wonderful to see you again." He strode across the hall and shook hands with the Cullen patriarch. Upon contact, his expression changed into disappointment, but he turned to the other two vampires and greeted them in turn. "And Edward and Jasper, too! This is a surprise." Then, perfunctorily, he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

"You already know, Aro", Carlisle replied. Aro sighed.

"Ah, yes. Alice. Pity about her, really. The Vampire Knife? Do you really think that was what she saw?"

"All evidence points to that fact", Carlisle affirmed.

"Carlisle, I am sorry about all this", Aro said then. "It's a great pity you have to lose her like this…"

"She's not gone", Jasper said, speaking for the first time. "She's just…not around."

Aro smiled tolerantly, his eyes clearly conveying that he truly believed his words. "She left to look for the Vampire Knife – the one weapon that can kill us. If it's been found, what are the odds that she will survive?"

Jasper tensed, barely noticing when Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, son", he said.

Aro's eyes were sad as he looked down on the three Cullens. "I am so sorry", he said again. "We'll try everything we can…but I'm sorry."

* * *

The plane ride back to Forks was a nightmare. For the first time in his extended life, Edward wished he couldn't hear other people's minds. Carlisle was trying not to think about it, but Edward could tell Aro's words had unearthed a fear his adopted father had tried to bury.

Jasper's thoughts were even more painful. The blond vampire kept concentrating on happy times with Alice, but his mind always flashed back to the same picture – Alice, still and silent, the Vampire Knife buried in her body.

_Get a grip on yourself, Edward_, he scolded himself. Ironic – he was not actually thinking about that possibility, but hearing the fears of his adopted father and brother had awakened the same fear in him. To distract himself, he thought about Bella. Or, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, since the last time he'd seen her was when he'd told her about Alice's disappearance.

* * *

"Alice did _what_?" Bella demanded, staring at Edward's solemn face.

Edward sighed in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. "She left to look for the Vampire Knife – at least that's what Carlisle thinks. We can't track her; she went through the river – and we haven't a clue where she might be going."

"But if she does find the knife, and someone's already got it, she could die!" Bella said anxiously.

"I know, Bella", said Edward. "Believe me, I know. Carlisle didn't say it in so many words, but that weapon's deadly. He didn't say it, but I know he thinks the knife may have been coated with vampire venom."

"What difference does that make?" Bella asked, momentarily distracted. "Alice is already a vampire."

"Being a vampire doesn't make us immune to our venom", Edward explained. "It won't affect anything, but it does hurt, and we do feel pain. If that knife really has been dipped in venom, if Alice gets so much as a prick from it, she'll be in too much pain to defend herself."

"There must be _something _we can do", Bella exclaimed.

"There is. Carlisle, Jasper, and I are going to Italy to alert the Volturi."

"The Volturi?" Bella looked up disbelievingly. "The Volturi almost killed you, me, and Alice the last time we were in Volterra. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's the only thing we can think of at the moment." Edward pulled Bella into a hug. "Don't worry, love. We'll find Alice."

"Alive, I hope", Bella mumbled.

"Alive", he agreed, though he wondered if he could guarantee that.

* * *

Edward breathed deeply and pulled himself back to the present. No, he couldn't let his mind go there – he had to believe there was a chance, or he'd be giving up before even trying. He had to tell himself they would find Alice, and she would be all right. He had to.

* * *

The airport was crowded and suffused with a myriad of different scents, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Alice looked around the terminal until she saw the ticket counter, and made her way straight to it.

"One ticket to Paris, please", she requested, flashing a smile at the attendant.

The person behind the counter looked up, dazzled. "Certainly, ma'am", he agreed, his fingers already on the keyboard. "Which flight?"

Alice cocked her head as she heard the P.A. announce a flight to France that was currently boarding.

"How about that one?" she asked.

"Uhhh…that plane's being boarded at the moment, ma'am", the ticket attendant said nervously.

"Aren't there any seats left?" Alice inquired.

"There're sure to be, but it's boarding now", the attendant insisted.

Alice assumed an expression of bewilderment. "Then what's the problem?"

The attendant coughed delicately. "I can't sell tickets for a flight which takes off less than an hour after purchase, ma'am."

"I think you're misunderstanding", Alice insisted, turning on her full charm. "I need to get to Paris immediately. It's an emergency."

"Ah…I'm sorry about that, ma'am, but rules…" the attendant shrugged helplessly.

"Are rules, I understand." Alice leaned forward. "But surely you can make an exception, just for me?"

The attendant gulped. "I-I suppose…" he began doubtfully. "If it really is very urgent…"

"Oh, it is", Alice assured him, smiling brilliantly.

The attendant typed something into the computer and handed her a ticket. "Have a good flight, ma'am", he said, still rather bemused.

"Thank you." Alice accepted the ticket and disappeared. She made her way through the gate to the flight, and onto the plane.

Settling down onto her seat, she sighed. She was sorry for what she'd done to that attendant, but it couldn't be helped. She absolutely had to be in that dusty grey room as soon as possible.

_For Jasper._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Yayayay! I was almost hopping up and down writing my favourite characters in action. I do love Alice/Jasper. Thank you so much to my first reviewers on this story, **_The Violet Rose_ **(a very loyal reviewer), **_fizz chilli_, **and **_AliceCullen3434_. **To all you readers who were kind enough to add my story to favourites or story alert or me to author alert, could you please leave a short review for me? Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, have never owned, will never own, and will not presume to own, **_Twilight._**  
**


	3. Conflicting Views

**Chapter 3: Conflicting Views**

Bella stalked around her room impatiently while she mulled over Edward's description of his trip to Volterra.

"Are you absolutely sure you can't do anything else?" she demanded, whirling around to face him.

"Quite sure", he replied. "I've been eavesdropping on the others' minds, and no one's come up with anything."

Bella came very close to cursing before turning away and pacing again.

"Bella, please don't do that", said Edward. "It makes me nervous."

"This is Volterra all over again", she muttered under her breath. Edward heard her.

"I think I'm beginning to understand how you felt during that trip", he said.

"You and your family have suicidal tendencies", Bella growled. "First you run off to Italy to try to get yourself killed, and now Alice is chasing after a crazy vampire who has a knife that can actually kill her."

"Who said it was a vampire who has the knife?" Edward asked.

"Didn't you?" Bella looked surprised. "I mean, I just assumed that since you're all so worried she could be killed, it must be a vampire who has the knife."

"We don't _know _anything for sure", Edward told her. "We don't even know if the knife has been found."

There was a short pause.

"So what now?" Bella asked. "You've been to Volterra already, and we don't know enough to do anything else. Maybe we should tell Jacob and –"

"No!" Edward ground out. "Now who's the suicidal one?"

"Edward, honestly", Bella said. "I thought we'd sorted out all that. We wouldn't have defeated Victoria and the newborns without the wolves' help. And Jacob has accepted the fact that we're getting married."

"It's not that", Edward said. "The Vampire Knife is a very dangerous thing. If the wolves go looking for it, and it turns out someone does have it, if they're cut with the knife, we don't know what will happen. The knife is long enough to reach their skin even in their wolf form, unlike a vampire's teeth. If a werewolf is infected with vampire venom, not even Carlisle would know what would happen. It's never occurred before."

"Oh." Bella bit her lip. She'd rather cut off her finger than hurt Jacob again. "So what can we do?" she asked again.

Edward sighed. "I don't know. For the moment, all we can do is wait…and pray."

* * *

"I say we go look for a tracker and ask him to track Alice", Emmett declared.

"Where are we going to find one?" Rosalie demanded.

"The Volturi would know", Carlisle put in. "But I don't think employing the services of a tracker will do much good."

"Why not?" Jasper asked. "It sounds like a good idea to me."

"Alice probably waded in the river for quite a while", Carlisle pointed out. "Even the best tracker in the world can't find someone if her scent's been washed away by water."

"Argh!" Emmett said in exasperation, banging his fist into the wall and creating a large hole.

"Emmett", Esme said reprovingly.

"Sorry, Mom. I'll fix it…when I get around to it."

"Bella thinks we should involve the wolves", Edward said as he appeared in the doorway.

"_No_", Rosalie emphasized.

"Actually, that might not be a bad idea…" Emmett said thoughtfully.

"It is _not _a good idea", Edward stressed.

"Why not?" Emmett wanted to know.

Edward looked exasperated. "I've already been through this with Bella. If the Vampire Knife really is coated in venom –"

"_What?_" exclaimed Jasper.

"Edward!" Carlisle reproved.

"Oops." Edward looked uncomfortable. "Sorry, Carlisle, I forgot."

"Did you forget to mention something, dear?" Esme asked, trying to keep her tone even.

"I didn't want to worry you", Carlisle said by way of explanation.

"Worry us about what?" Rosalie asked.

Carlisle sighed. "I think, some time between its creation and its disappearance, the Vampire Knife may have been coated with venom."

"Why didn't you mention this sooner?" Esme demanded.

"Because I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to create any unnecessary worry."

Jasper was looking absolutely horrified. "Unnecessary worry?" he began.

"Uh-oh", Emmett muttered.

"If that knife gets anywhere near Alice, she won't be able to defend herself!" Jasper cried.

"Jasper, please", Carlisle pleaded. "I know this is difficult for you, but try to remain calm."

"Calm?" Jasper exclaimed. "Carlisle, Alice is out there alone, looking for a knife that can kill her, just to protect me! I can't be calm when I know that. How would you feel if it were Esme?"

There was silence, and Carlisle's arm instinctively tightened around Esme's shoulders.

"You're right, Jasper, I'm sorry", Carlisle apologized.

"No, I'm sorry", Jasper said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's all right", Carlisle assured him. "The stress is making everyone nervous."

"Getting back to the problem at hand", Edward interjected, further dissipating the already breaking tension, "I don't want to involve the wolves because if they're cut by that knife, who knows what will happen."

Rosalie shuddered. "Vampire venom mixed with the altered genetics of a shape-shifter. A recipe for a nightmarish disaster."

"So we still come back to the exact same question we've been asking since Alice disappeared off the face of the earth", Emmett said, frustrated. "What…do we do?"

Everyone turned to Carlisle, who sighed and ran through the possibilities in his head.

"We'll tell the wolves", he decided. When Edward and Rosalie opened their mouths to protest, Carlisle held up a hand. "Let me finish. They might come across something we've missed. It's unlikely, but Alice might have disregarded the treaty in her haste to get away. We'll tell them all we know and warn them to be extremely cautious. With such a limited set of options, we'll need to do everything we can to find Alice. Agreed?"

Edward thought about it and nodded. "Agreed", he assented.

"Yeah", Emmett concurred.

"Anything for Alice", Jasper said quietly.

"Yes", said Esme.

"Oh, all right", Rosalie said.

"Who's going to tell them?" Jasper asked.

"I will, with Bella", answered Edward.

"All right." Emmett clapped his brother's back. "Go tell the wolves we need another favour."

"They'll be absolutely delighted", Rosalie said sarcastically.

"Rose", Esme said warningly.

"Go, Edward", Carlisle said. "The sooner they know about this, the better the chance we have of their picking up Alice's scent."

Edward nodded and ran off.

* * *

Alice drove carefully down the wet road. She'd decided to rent a car legally this time, instead of stealing one – mostly because she would have gotten extremely wet trying to unlock the door. It had been raining steadily since she left the airport two hours ago, and the water was coming down in sheets, creating flowing rivulets of liquid on the roads.

The slippery highway meant she couldn't drive nearly as fast as she would like to, and Alice chafed at the relatively slow speed the heavy rain restricted her to. She'd had another vision during the plane ride to Paris, and now she knew the empty building she had seen was somewhere in Marseille. She was driving there right now, and she would get there much faster if only the infernal rain would let up. She wouldn't even be driving at all, if it were not for the fact that there was no flight from Paris to Marseille today, and trains were still too slow. And it didn't help that the car she'd rented could not go over 150 kilometers per hour.

"Stupid weather", she grumbled, looking at the dark, overcast sky from the driver's window. "How much cloud cover could one storm possibly have?"

As she continued driving, another glimpse of the future hit her – only this time it was not about Jasper, Bella, the other Cullens, or the vampire she was making her way to meet. It was about Jane and Alec, the powerful twins in the Volturi guard. They were bearing down on the same stone building the black-haired vampire was in, and they were calling Aro on a cell phone to tell him. This would happen in mere minutes.

Alice sped up as she saw a break in the clouds and rain. The Volturi were looking for her, and Aro had promised to alert Carlisle if they located either her or the Vampire Knife. She had to resolve this once and for all, before Jasper or any of her family could come to her and get hurt fighting the black-haired vampire.

Her fingers gripping the steering wheel as the speedometer neared 130 kilometers, Alice grimly realized that one way or another, this entire business would all be over and done with by sundown tomorrow.

* * *

**_A/N: For those of you who have been reading this fic, you should know by now that this is a daily update. I'm disappointed that the only person who reviewed on the last chapter was _**_The Violet Rose. **Kudos to her.**_

**Disclaimer: I wonder, would I be getting more reviews if I **_were _**Stephenie Meyer?**_**  
**_


	4. Flight to Marseille

**Chapter 4: Flight to Marseille**

"I thought you said this wasn't a good idea?" Bella asked as she made the turning that would take them to La Push.

"We talked it over, and Carlisle decided it's the best we can do at the moment", Edward replied. He checked the speedometer and groaned. "Could you please drive a little faster?"

"Enough complaints about my truck", Bella retorted, though she did speed up a little. "If you wanted to get there in less than ten minutes, you should have brought your car."

"I'm starting to think I should have."

Despite Bella's cautious driving, they arrived at the Black residence within twenty minutes. Edward was out of the car almost before it had stopped, and was by Bella's seat, opening the door for her only a few seconds later. Then the two of them walked up to the door of the house, Bella's feet tracing the familiar path automatically. She had spent so much time here, before…

But she couldn't let her reminiscence distract her. They weren't important now – Alice was. Alice was missing, and Jacob and the wolves could help.

Edward raised his hand and knocked on the door, his other hand clasping Bella's. He'd never been on the reservation before, and though relations between the Cullens and the Quileutes were much better now, they still weren't sure how Billy might react if he saw a vampire on his land.

Fortunately – or perhaps not so fortunately – it was Jacob who answered the door. Despite his attempt to hide it, Bella saw his face twist into a grimace of pain before he smoothed it out again.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" His tone was neutral, amiable even, but flat. "And you", he said to Edward. "We're not on such good terms that you can come wandering onto our land whenever you feel like it."

Edward's grip on Bella's hand tightened slightly. "I'm sorry, Jacob", he apologized. "Believe me, I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't a matter of urgency."

"Well, what is it this time?" Jacob asked in the same even voice.

"It's Alice, Jake", Bella cut in, pleading with him with her eyes. "She's vanished."

"Vanished?" Jacob's voice coloured with surprise.

"Ran away might be a more accurate description", Edward admitted wryly. "She had a vision of Jasper's death, and she left to look for the knife that would kill him."

"A _knife_?" Jacob repeated in disbelief.

"The Vampire Knife", Bella explained. "The only weapon that can kill vampires."

"Now there's something interesting." Jacob's eyes glinted.

"Jake, focus", Bella said. "We need your help. Alice evaded the Cullens by wading into the river; we're hoping you and the other wolves might be able to pick up her scent."

"I'm not sure Sam will agree to that", Jacob said with a frown.

"You'll have to convince him", Edward said firmly. "Tell him anything that will persuade him to help us."

"Why should I help _you_?" Jacob asked, rounding on Edward. "I don't owe you anything."

"Jake, please", Bella pleaded. "It's not just Edward. It's me and the other Cullens too. Alice could be killed if she goes up against that knife alone. Jasper will be heartbroken, and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to Alice, either. Please, Jake."

Jacob looked torn for a moment, trying to decide if helping the Cullens was a good idea.

"Carlisle helped you", Bella pointed out. "When that newborn crushed your bones – he helped you, Jake, and now he needs your help. It's his family too. Don't you owe him something?"

Jacob's expression twisted into something akin to extreme hurt. "Damn that vampire's skill and patience", he muttered. "Okay, fine, I'm in."

Bella brightened, a smile coming onto her face, and even Edward thanked him.

"I appreciate this, Jacob", he said.

"Yeah, yeah." Jacob eyed Edward. "But do me a favour, okay, and don't ask for any more favours. I'm not feeling very ambivalent towards you just yet."

"Fair enough", Edward agreed.

"Thank you, Jake", Bella said earnestly.

They were just about to leave when Edward's cell phone vibrated in his pocket. In a smooth, fluid motion, he fished it out and held it to his ear while Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Hello? What? Say it again, Rosalie, slowly…" Edward's brow creased into a frown which deepened with each passing moment as Rosalie spoke rapidly to him on the other end.

"Tell Carlisle I'll meet you there…no, it's okay, don't wait. Just get there and get the tickets, I'll be there as soon as I can."

He slid his phone back into his pocket as Bella asked, "What's going on?"

"Change of plan", Edward replied curtly. "Aro just called Carlisle. Jane and Alec found the person with the knife somewhere in Marseille. He _is _a vampire."

"Is Alice there?" Bella asked, her heartbeat quickening.

"No." Edward's voice was choked with suppressed worry and frustration. "But she will be. The entire family's going to Marseille to catch up with her before she can do anything rash."

"If Jane and Alec are there, why can't they take care of the vampire?" Bella wanted to know.

"Because this vampire apparently has the ability to create physical shields. He's not letting them in the building, and the twins' powers don't work on him. Besides, they were called away to an emergency in Egypt. Someone there's been creating immortal children."

"What –" Bella started.

"I'll explain later." Edward bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Jacob shuddered and deliberately looked away. "I have to get to the airport."

"Can't I come with you?" Even as the question came out, though, Bella knew she wouldn't be going.

"No, you can't, love", Edward told her. "We've no idea what we might be facing, and I don't want to put you in danger. You stay with Jacob."

At this, Jacob's face brightened somewhat. Bella turned to look at her werewolf friend.

"Can you keep her safe?" Edward asked. "Don't let her drive to the airport to catch the next flight to France or anything."

"You should know me better than that, Edward", Jacob said. "I'll keep her occupied, don't worry."

"Thank you." Edward gave Bella another fleeting kiss. "I'll call you if anything happens", he promised before speeding away so fast it seemed to Bella he had just disappeared.

"So…" began Jacob, unsure of what exactly to say. "What do you want to do?"

* * *

By the time Edward got to the Seattle airport, the other members of the family – with the exception of Alice, of course – were already there. Emmett solemnly handed him his ticket and Edward glanced at it.

"Nonstop flight to Marseille", he read. Then he looked up. "We got lucky."

"Maybe not so lucky", Rosalie disagreed. "This flight only leaves at nine."

"What?" Edward's slight relief evaporated like the wind. "_Nine_?"

"It was the best I could get, Edward", Carlisle assured him.

"But _nine_?" Edward repeated.

"It's only tonight", Esme soothed, though she too looked worried. "And it's faster than running the length of the Atlantic Ocean", she added with a pointed glance at Jasper.

Jasper muttered something unintelligible before lapsing back into the brooding silence that had marked his behaviour for the past two days. Esme sighed.

"Carlisle", she whispered, sidling up to her husband, her voice too low for anyone but him to hear. "I'm worried about him."

"We're all on edge, Esme", Carlisle responded, circling her waist with his arm.

"Yes, but Jasper's got the worst of it", Esme insisted. "He's feeling everybody's anxiety, and the fact that it's Alice isn't helping matters any. Oh, Carlisle, what if we get to France and we're too late?" she asked suddenly in horror. "What if Alice –"

"Don't go there, Esme", Carlisle warned gently as he pulled her closer. "You don't need it – none of us do. Don't go there."

"I can't help it", Esme cried, her body trembling and threatening to break into the dry sobs that was the vampire equivalent of crying. "It's so real, it could actually happen…"

"Esme!" Carlisle said sharply. Esme stopped abruptly and looked around. Edward's mouth was pressed into a hard line, his eyes desperate; Rosalie was practically crying into Emmett's shoulder; and Jasper was shaking like a leaf, feeling every bit of Esme's obvious pain along with his own.

"Oh, Jasper", Esme said contritely, going to his side. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't", Jasper gasped. "Don't say it, don't think about it…"

"I'm sorry, Jasper", Esme said again. "I wasn't thinking."

She hugged him close as his tremors slowly stilled. The other Cullens drifted closer and were soon sharing a group hug, ignoring the curious looks from bystanders.

"We'll find her, Jasper", Carlisle promised. "She'll be okay. We'll find her."

* * *

**_A/N: Fourth chapter out! I do wonder if any other writer on FanFiction updates this quickly. _**_Violet, **thank you so much for your kind words. This fic will be 9 chapters long (it'll take me longer to post than it did to write). **Madame Jasper, **relax! I'll be posting daily, so you won't have to wait so long. ****And **duckreb, **if I told you whether anyone would die, I'd be giving this story away, wouldn't I? Thank you so much to those who were responsible for the flood of reviews waiting for me in my email this afternoon - **The Violet Rose, duckreb, Rogue903, chica1978, fizz chilli , **and **Madame Jasper. **I love you guys!**_

**Disclaimer: In no way do I own this, except perhaps plotwise. I will **_not _**presume to deprive Stephenie Meyer of her ownership of such a wonderful phenomenon.****  
**


	5. Endless Waiting

**Chapter 5: Endless Waiting**

Alice sat in the motel room with her eyes closed. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to think rationally.

It was no good going up against the black-haired vampire now, much as she wanted to. It was already night, and she would like to have some light when fighting an unknown enemy. Not to mention she needed to hunt; the fight would be difficult enough as it was – she wouldn't stand a chance if she went in running on anything less than full strength. Also, she hadn't the slightest idea where in Marseille the stone building actually was.

She checked the clock – ten pm. Still not late enough. She would have to wait until midnight at least before the streets were clear enough for her to run out to the countryside and chase down a doe or something. She hated to wait when she was so close, but there was no help for it. Sighing, she let herself fall onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, letting thoughts of Jasper dominate her thinking.

Alice knew that she could very possibly die tomorrow, and she wanted Jasper to be the last person she thought of. So she let herself focus solely on the way his blond curls felt when she ran her hands through his hair; how he would race her in the woods while they hunted; the overpowering, understanding love they both shared for each other; his handsome features when he told her he loved her; everything and anything she could think of that had to do with Jasper.

_I love you, Jas, _she told him mentally, wishing he could hear her thought over the miles that separated them from each other. _I love you, and no matter what happens, I always will._

_ Love can be a form of self-torture, _she thought ruefully. Her mind kept crying _Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, _and her still heart felt all wrong without him. Why was this all hitting her so hard now? Was it because she might be going to her death tomorrow? Did her body somehow know that she would not live to see another sunset?

Still, no matter how bad she may feel without Jasper here to comfort her in the wake of the imminent battle tomorrow, she knew she would feel a hundred times worse if he were to die and leave her alone in the world. Her existence would mean nothing without him.

She glanced at the clock again – and started in surprise when she saw the hands pointing to twelve-thirty. Had she really spent more than two hours just thinking about Jasper? Was such a thing even possible?

Shrugging, Alice bounded out of the room, into the dark streets of Marseille. If this was to be her last hunt, she was going to drink her fill.

* * *

2 am. Alice sighed in frustration. She had sated her hunger and was feeling very satisfied, but she still would not let herself look for the stone building with the black-haired vampire. Number one: it was still dark; number two: people would wonder what a young woman was doing snooping around alleys and roads alone in the middle of the night. So she made herself wait, but she vowed that at first light she would check out and take off around the city.

She wasn't quite sure how she passed those interminable hours, how she restrained herself from looking for the vampire in the dark. All she did know was that when seven o' clock struck, she bolted out of there as if all the demons of hell were hot on her heels.

* * *

Bella paced around the simple room, checking her watch every five minutes or so. Jacob sighed as he watched her make round after round. He'd brought her out to the garage because her anxiety was bothering Billy, and because he hoped the scene of happy times past would calm her down somewhat.

Boy, was he wrong. Bella had been pacing for the past hour at least, walking quickly or slowly according to her ever-shifting mood. Sometimes he would ask her a question to see if he could distract her, but she would always just respond with a simple reply and go back to pacing. Jacob reckoned he would go stark raving mad if he had to endure another minute of this.

"What are they doing?" Bella exploded, coming to an abrupt stop directly in front of Jacob. "Shouldn't they have called by now? We should have heard something from them at least thirty minutes ago!"

Jacob sighed again. "Bella, he's only been gone one hour. They're probably only just getting on the flight – if they managed to get one this early."

Bella grumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Jacob asked politely.

Bella actually blushed, a very faint pink colouring her cheeks. Jacob stared at her in surprise. He had never seen her flush like that before.

"Nothing", Bella mumbled.

"Right." Jacob raised one eyebrow in profound skepticism.

"Really, Jake, it isn't anything for you to worry about", Bella insisted.

"Bella", Jacob said. "Do you honestly think you can get away with that? Just how dumb do you think I am?"

Bella looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. It's just…this is the second time this family has put me through all this worry!" she blurted.

"You really do care about them, don't you?" he said, slightly taken aback.

"Are you only realizing that just now?"

"I thought it was just Edward", Jacob admitted.

"Jake", Bella sighed as she came to sit by him. "Edward is a big part of it, but I love them all. Alice is like a sister to me. If she…" she stopped, choking on the word she had been about to say. "…doesn't make it", she continued, "I don't know what I'll do. It was bad enough having to go through this with Edward."

Jacob was at a loss for words, though he also felt slightly happier. So it wasn't just Edward who was the reason Bella was so attached to the Cullens. It was the whole family. _I'm an idiot for not seeing this sooner, _he thought wryly.

"Jake", Bella said presently, a note of panic in her voice, "She will make it, won't she? Alice, I mean."

For the second time in an hour Jacob stared at her, completely stumped. What was he supposed to say?

"Yeah", he found his mouth speaking, "Yeah, she will." _I hope._

"Promise?" Bella sounded like a frightened child.

_My God, just how well has this family enchanted her?_

"Sure", Jacob said, scooping her into a hug. "I promise." _And I hope I don't have to break this one._

_

* * *

_She'd found it. Against all odds, she'd found it. And she was alone. Jasper was not here to get hurt.

Alice could see the black-haired vampire sitting on the chair with the knife on his lap, just like she'd seen in her vision. He hadn't seen her yet, but that changed when he looked up, his gaze seeing through the dust-coated window pane. He smiled, and then, suddenly, a new vision hit her.

She saw Marseille, as if from an airplane; then the plane landed, and her family came out. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper. They were at the check-out gate; she could see the skyline of Marseille through the large window near the ceiling…

_No! _She screamed inwardly. No, they couldn't – _he _couldn't – be here. What were they doing here? They weren't supposed to – they _shouldn't_ – be here. Why hadn't she seen this earlier? She should have seen them in Marseille as soon as they'd made the decision to get on the plane. Why hadn't she seen it?

Something was very wrong here, she knew it – she could feel it in her bones. They had just touched down…why, oh _why _were they here?

She looked back at the black-haired vampire inside the building – his gaze was deep, piercing.

She was out of time.

Aro would have told them where the knife was, and they would have known she would be there too. They would be coming here. She had to get this over with, had to win or lose, before Jasper could arrive.

Squaring her shoulders, Alice Cullen opened the door and went in.

It was dark, and Alice was immediately glad that she had not come here at night, night-vision or not. The black-haired vampire on the chair was observing her, his expression faintly amused as he fingered the knife on his lap.

_There it is, _Alice thought dully as she saw it. The one weapon that could kill her. And for the sake of love, she had come here alone, within reach of its thirsty blade.

"Welcome, Alice", said the black-haired vampire, smiling chillingly just as he had in her vision. "I've been waiting for you."

_Of course you have, _Alice thought.

Then, just as she'd known he would, the vampire lunged forward at her so quickly she barely had time to react. Twisting to the side to avoid the knife, she was unpleasantly surprised to feel a slight prick on her right arm. It was just a prick, hardly more serious than an injury she might receive from a pin, yet the pain was jolting. She fell to the floor, biting her lip to keep from crying out. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had out-thought her.

The black-haired vampire loomed over her wriggling figure, his unnerving smile still on his lips. "Poor Alice", he said. "Did you see me make a different move? Was I supposed to come straight at you instead of flicking to the side?"

How did he know? He would have to be very well informed in order to keep his decision of the direction of the attack the same until the last moment. Alice hugged her knees to her chest as she rode out the pain, which was already subsiding.

"And you're wondering how I know", the vampire mused. "Well, seeing how your precious Jasper will be here within the hour, I don't see any point in keeping the truth hidden from you anymore."

Alice felt a jolt of shock that made her forget the pain when he said Jasper's name. _No! He can't know – how does he know?_

She didn't realize she'd said it out loud until a silky female voice said, "Because I know."

Startled, and with the pain gone, Alice sat up and stared.

The newcomer was petite, like her, but her eyes were bright crimson, and her dark hair fell in cascading curls down the back of her long dress. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even for a vampire, and her smile was cold.

"Maria", Alice gasped, recognizing the vampire from Jasper's description.

"Correct." Maria's accent was Hispanic; foreign, but lovely-sounding.

"How –" Alice began, but Maria cut her off.

"Yes, the inevitable question. How." Her eyes flashed with malice and triumph. "I don't think you fully understand what you've gotten yourself into, Alice. You see, Jacques here" – she gestured to the black-haired vampire, who was still holding the knife – "has the ability to create physical and mental barriers. And I", here she paused, and took the knife from Jacques's outstretched hand, "have a gift too. I can keep track of anyone I want to, provided I have seen them in person before, and touched them. I have been watching Jasper for the past 100 years, waiting, biding my time. You cannot imagine the rage and jealousy I felt when he met you in that diner, and became your mate. He was supposed to be _mine, _and you took him."

Maria advanced slowly, her expression deadly, the Vampire Knife in her hand pointed at Alice.

"But of course, that still doesn't answer your question", she continued in the same smooth, calm voice. "Well, allow me to clear that up for you. You see, my plan was to get you away, alone, to carry out my revenge. And when I had you, I was going to make sure I amused myself with you. And now that you're finally here…" Maria's smile was positively wicked.

"I had Jacques block your vision of your family coming here, because I was afraid if you came too soon, I wouldn't be able to restrain myself, in my hunger for revenge. Because I want my retribution to reach Jasper, too."

Horror flickered in Alice's eyes as she realized what Maria was saying.

"Yes, Alice", Maria hissed. "I will torture you, play with you, make you so miserable you wish for death in the hour or so that I have alone with you. And then, when Jasper reaches this place…I will kill you, and he will watch you die in front of his eyes. My revenge will be sweet, ever so sweet, watching his anguish as I take away the love of his life."

All sorts of things clicked together for Alice in that moment, as she saw herself die in a vivid premonition. Maria had known. Maria had been watching them for the past century. Maria had purposely made the decision to kill Jasper to pull her away from her family. Maria had intentionally switched her decision at the last possible minute, when there was nothing she could do about it. Maria had arranged everything, planned it all down to the very last detail.

She, Alice, was in an abandoned building in an isolated area of Marseille. She was alone, with two enemy vampires, one of whom was wielding the knife that would kill her the minute Jasper arrived. Jasper would be too late to help her. With a chill, Alice realized the final truth.

She was alone, and she was going to die.

* * *

**_A/N: Ooh! Alice is in serious trouble. Kudos to _**_Violet **for guessing that Alice was the real target way back in Chapter 2. You've been reading my fics so long, you can tell where my stories are going, can't you? Thanks to **The Violet Rose, fizz chilli, **and **Rogue903 **for reviewing!**_

**Disclaimer: Again, since I plan to be a bestselling author myself and wouldn't want people to steal my owenership away from me, I will not presume to be Stephenie Meyer and thus will freely admit that I do not own **_Twilight.__**  
**_


	6. Fighting the Knife

**Chapter 6: Fighting the Knife**

"Something wrong, Bells?" Charlie asked, noticing Bella's worried expression as she picked at her breakfast.

"No, there's nothing wrong", Bella lied, putting on a fake smile. "Why would you think…yes, something's wrong", she confessed when she saw his face.

"What is it?" Charlie inquired, lowering his newspaper. "Are you having second thoughts about marrying Edward Cullen?" he added hopefully.

"No, Dad, nothing like that", Bella sighed as she winced.

Charlie had not taken the news of Bella's engagement to Edward well. He had, at least, agreed to stop nagging her about what a bad decision it was after she managed to convince him that this was what she wanted, but he still harbored a hope that she might change her mind and cancel the wedding after all.

"Oh." Charlie's face fell. "Okay, then, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, really, Dad", Bella tried to convince him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Bella…" Charlie started. "Are you trying to convince a cop that you're not lying?"

Bella sighed. Of all days for Charlie to be perceptive…

"I'm worried", she admitted finally. "Alice ran away."

Charlie's hand stopped in the act of transferring a slice of toast to his mouth. "Why? Did something happen? Wasn't she being treated right at home?"

"Her family has nothing to do with it", Bella assured him. "Alice has…been through a lot lately. She's had a tough time dealing with some…things. She just needed some time on her own to sort them all out. Edward and the other Cullens have gone after her to try to convince her to talk about it with them." There. That was close enough to the truth for Charlie not to get suspicious about her horrible lying skills.

"Hmm." Charlie finished his toast and grabbed his hat and gun belt. At the door, he paused and turned around. "Well, I hope Carlisle can get her to come back to Forks." Then he left, closing the door behind him.

_So do I, Dad, _Bella thought. _So do I._

_

* * *

_Alice bit down hard on her lip to hold back her scream, but it made it through anyway.

"Finally, some response!" Maria exclaimed, looking somewhat peevish. "I was beginning to think you _couldn't _scream."

Alice curled into a ball, cradling her broken wrist. The past forty minutes had been hell. Maria was intent on tormenting her as much as possible, and she took a perverse delight in breaking various bones, sometimes going so far as to re-break the same bone after it healed.

As her wrist healed, Alice realized something that hadn't occurred to her before. Jasper was not coming alone. He had the whole family with him. Maria and Jacques, even with the Vampire Knife, could not possibly win against six vampires. For the first time since entering the desolate stone room, Alice felt a ray of hope.

"What are you so happy about?" Maria asked, noticing the change in her expression.

"You can't win", Alice told her. "Jasper's not coming alone. He's bringing the whole family."

Maria's lip curled into a cold smile. "Ah", she said. "That. Well, I am afraid I'm going to have to burst your bubble. You see, Jacques isn't my only accomplice. I have another vampire named William who can control minds. He's going to put it in the head of a Customs official not to let any one of your family but Jasper through. So you see, Jasper _will _be alone, and he _will _see my final victory."

She laughed wickedly as fear gripped Alice. Jasper would be coming alone. She knew he wouldn't let a little thing like being alone stop him from coming to her. He wouldn't have a chance against Maria. He would be forced to watch as she died, and then who knows what Maria would do to him?

When her glee had passed, Maria resumed her torture session, but she did not break any more bones. Instead, she picked up the Vampire Knife from where she had laid it on the floor, and, after a brief, clinical observation, swiftly and neatly sliced the blade over Alice's arm, introducing the hot venom into her veins.

This time, Alice did not bother to try to hold back her screams.

* * *

Their disembarking process was actually quite quick, but for Jasper, it was still to slow. Something was happening to Alice right now – he could feel it. She needed him, and, as he knew exactly where to find her (Aro had given them very specific directions), he had every intention of getting to her just as fast as he possibly could. Therefore, it took every ounce of his self-restraint to keep from flinging the Customs official halfway across the room when the man pompously announced that they would all have to wait while they were 'further inspected.'

When asked on what grounds he detained them, the guard simply replied that he had received a tip-off from an informant that they might be smuggling illegal substances into the country.

"Therefore, you understand that you will have to remain here while we investigate", he declared, his French accent heavily pronounced. Jasper was just about ready to shake him by his cuff when he authoritatively added, "All of you, of course, except for him." Jasper's mouth fell open as he realized the guard was pointing at him.

"You may pass", the guard told him, "but your family stays here", he added firmly.

"Jasper, no", Carlisle warned. "It's too dangerous for you to go alone…"

Jasper wasn't listening; he was almost to the exit when he heard a dull thwack and a squeal of pain. Distracted, he turned around to see Emmett and Rosalie roughly pushing their way past the pompous Customs official.

"Hell, no", Emmett exclaimed as they caught up with his foster brother. "You're not going to a fight without me."

Across the room, Carlisle nodded his approval. "Go!" he told them as security guards swarmed around the gate to prevent anyone else from slipping through. "We'll sort this out. You go to Alice."

Jasper nodded once and continued on his way, flanked by Emmett and Rosalie.

* * *

Alice screamed as Maria slashed at her with knife yet again – this time on her leg. The pain was more or less constant now, and Alice found herself wishing, as Maria had promised, that she would just kill her already. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. This constant torture had to be as painful as making the change from human to vampire, though Alice remembered nothing of her own transformation.

Alice couldn't see – her vision was blocked by dark spots and fuzzy areas, and the rest of her senses weren't any better. She wasn't sure if vampires could fall unconscious, but it seemed they could. Several times already Alice had almost passed out from the pain, but just as she bordered on blessed insensibility, Maria had been careful to stop and let her recover enough for torture to recommence. It was during one of these near-blackouts that Alice heard Maria snarl just as the most beautiful sound in the world came to her ears.

"Alice!"

It was a dream – she had to be dreaming, had to be imagining his lovely, velvet voice, because Jasper couldn't be here already, could he? She couldn't be sure. Maybe he was, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was just a delusion, brought on by the insanity Maria had to be forcing her into with all the torture. But no, there it was again.

"Alice!" Jasper called, his voice anxious as he felt how much pain she was in.

"Jasper", she managed to call back, and though her voice was weak and soft, she knew he would hear her.

He did, and then looked up, his eyes taking in the scene. He stopped when he reached Maria and stared at her in disbelief, as if seeing her for the first time. The shock of recognition flittered across his features.

"Maria." He was furious, his voice shaking with suppressed anger and ringing with concern for his wife.

"Hello, Jasper", Maria replied coolly. She gestured at Emmett and Rosalie, who were blocked from Jasper by a shimmering, transparent shield that they were scrabbling furiously at. "You were supposed to come alone, but no matter – Jacques can contain them long enough for you and I to finish business."

"I have no more business with you", Jasper declared.

"Oh, no?" Maria reached down and pulled Alice to her feet, holding the Vampire Knife to her throat. "Then what do I do about your precious mate?"

"Leave her alone!" Jasper cried, fear engulfing him like a wave when he saw how close Alice was to imminent death.

Maria's eyes glinted as she released her hold on Alice. Alice herself saw once again the vision of Jasper's death, and she suddenly realized that it had not been Jacques she'd seen kill Jasper – it was Maria.

Maria was the one seething and burning with a century of pent-up anger and hate. Maria was the one advancing toward Jasper with the Vampire Knife in her hand. Maria was the one who would kill Jasper, here and now. Despite all her efforts, all her attempts to keep him safe, Alice had failed, succeeding only in leading her love here, to the very place where he would die, and she with him. It had been her very actions that had made the vision come true, because her decision had been made even before she'd seen it. And now Jasper would pay for her failure.

_No! _It couldn't end like this – not after everything. No matter how short her own life might be after Jasper died, it would still be the most painful thing she would ever experience, even including the torture she had received at the hands of Maria. Jasper meant more to her than anything else in the world, and she could not let him die because of her mistake. The vision could – _would _– change.

Through sheer force of will, Alice overcame the pain. Forcing herself to ignore her suffering, she rose to her feet and launched herself towards Jasper, pulling him out of the way of Maria's raised knife just in time. In the split second before the knife came down, Alice saw Maria's face flicker with annoyance as she realized that she would not hit her intended target. Nevertheless, her momentum was too great to stop now, and she didn't care anyway. So it was that when the Vampire Knife struck, it was not Jasper it stabbed. It was Alice.

The point of the knife embedded itself in Alice's collarbone with a dull thunk. Pain, even more than before, suffused her entire body as the full force of the blade's venom coursed through her body. Unaware of Jasper's anguished cry of "_Alice_!", she determinedly wrapped her hands around the hilt as she staggered backwards and sank to her knees. _Maria can't get the knife, _she reasoned, _if it stays in my body._

Jasper caught her before she hit the floor, calling her name over and over again. "Alice, Alice, Alice", he said as behind Jacques shield, Emmett and Rosalie cried out in unison with him, throwing themselves even more desperately against the unyielding wall that separated them from him and Alice.

Maria observed the havoc she'd wreaked with an appraising eye. "Oops", she said.

"You…" Jasper rose, clenching his fists in barely contained fury.

"She stuck to my plan, that much is certain", Maria remarked.

Jasper couldn't take it anymore. Hissing and snarling in rage, and intent on killing her, he dove at his creator.

* * *

**_A/N: Ha! Take that, Maria! I never liked her either, _**_Violet, _**_and Stephenie Meyer never says what happened to her. I see from your reviews that most of you were not expecting the Maria twist. Well, be prepared for more action next chapter! And THANK YOU to my loyal reviewers _**_The Violet Rose **and **Rogue903, **as well as **AliceCullen3434, chica1978, Madame Jasper, RockinLover, xXKazaneXx, darex2xdream, **and **DazzledByHim.** Oh, and **Dazzled, **Alice is the main character here, so I'm sorry if Jasper's not getting enough attention. That might be rectified in later chapters, though.**_

**Disclaimer: Uh-huh...no.**_**  
**_


	7. Battling Vampires

**Chapter 7: Battling Vampires**

Without the Vampire Knife, Maria was forced to defend herself with her arms and legs against Jasper's ferocious onslaught. Thus, they were almost evenly matched, but even so, Jasper was at a disadvantage. His great fury lent him more strength that he might ordinarily have had, but Maria had grown stronger too, and her skill – already deadly – had increased. At least Jacques was too occupied with his shield to come to Maria's aid, Jasper noticed. The way Emmett and Rosalie were attacking it, the shield would come down the minute Jacques turned his attention to something else, and then the odds would be stacked in Jasper's favour.

Alice, lying on the floor some distance away from the terrible struggle between Jasper and Maria, followed the battle as best as she could, the Vampire Knife still in her body. But she was barely aware of anything, and thus had only the faintest notion of what was happening around her. She drifted in and out of consciousness with no sense of time, so she couldn't tell when it was she heard a soft voice above her.

"Alice." The voice was gentle, but pained as its owner took in the extent of her injuries. "Alice, can you hear me?"

"Carlisle", Alice gasped. Her head was reeling, her senses were fading…dazedly, she realized that the rest of the Cullens had arrived and had broken through the shield together, leaving Jacques weakened, but still able to fight. Emmett and Rosalie had immediately pitched in to help Jasper against Maria, while Edward and Esme circled Jacques.

"Alice, I need to take the knife out", Carlisle said gently.

"No!" Alice cried, fighting against the darkness that surrounded her and threatened to pull her under. At Carlisle's look of amazement, she explained haltingly, "Can't let…Maria get it. If it…stays in me…she can't just…pick it…up off the floor." Maybe it was foolish; maybe her thinking was flawed and feverish – but Jasper's safety was the most important thing to her now.

"Alice, don't worry", Carlisle assured her. "Maria won't get anywhere near the knife." His tone turned grim. "If anything, the knife will get her."

Alice nodded, satisfied, and Carlisle carefully drew the knife out.

Edward, from where he battled Jacques, had heard Carlisle's unspoken thought and he complied immediately. Switching places with Emmett, he dashed around Maria to take the knife from Carlisle's hand. His fingers wrapped around the hilt before he raced back to Maria – who was holding her own against Jasper and Rosalie – and stabbed her in the back with the knife. Maria stiffened and collapsed.

Jasper was about to snap her neck when he heard Alice's cry of pain as Carlisle did his best to treat her. He whipped his head around and saw her arching her back, writhing with pain, and the sight tore at his heart. Weakened and mortally injured though she was, Maria seized the opportunity and pulled his head down, slamming it against the concrete floor with what little strength she had left. Emmett, however, roughly pried her arms away from Jasper, breaking a few bones in the process.

"Go, Jasper", Edward told him as he pinned Maria to the ground. "We'll finish off here." Jasper nodded curtly and was at Alice's side in an instant, followed by Esme a few seconds later. Edward turned back to Maria and personally broke her neck with callous disregard.

"Good riddance", he muttered. Next to him, Emmett and Rosalie took vicious delight in categorically tearing Jacques to pieces. When that was done, Edward set fire to both the vampires' remains with the lighter in his pocket.

As he watched the flames go up, Edward couldn't help feeling a sense of relief that was strangely out of place. He was fairly certain it wasn't coming from Jasper, because the blond vampire was nearly beside himself with worry for Alice. Maybe it was just the fact that after all that had happened, after everything Maria had done – it was all over now. "And so it ends", he mused to himself.

Alice's scream brought him back to reality. Edward joined the rest of his family as they all gathered anxiously around Alice.

"Carlisle, can't you _do _something?" Esme asked desperately, and Edward could hear the tears she could not shed in her voice.

"I can't give her anything for the pain, if that's what you mean." Carlisle's face was drawn and haggard, his voice tight.

"Why not?" Jasper demanded, his face twisting in anguish as he felt Alice's pain.

"Because she doesn't have any blood circulation for a drug to go through!" Carlisle replied. He turned back to Alice and tried to focus on the wound.

"Shouldn't that have healed by now?" Rosalie asked anxiously, gripping Emmett's hand tightly.

"Under normal circumstances, yes", Carlisle replied as another tremor racked Alice's body. "Jasper, can you try to help her through?"

Jasper nodded. He wasn't sure if he could project feelings of love and tranquility when he was so strung up himself, but he did his best.

The effect on Alice was immediate. She stopped shaking – though her back was still arched – and her screams lessened.

"Jasper…" she gasped.

"I'm here, Alice", he assured her, lacing his fingers through hers. "You're going to be all right."

"That's it, Jasper", Carlisle said encouragingly. "Alice, how do you feel?"

"It still hurts, Carlisle", Alice replied weakly. "It's just a little bit numbed now." She bit her lip, trying not to scream again. The black, inky haze was threatening her more than ever, pushing in on all sides.

"What do we do, Carlisle?" Esme asked, almost crying.

"We'll need to get her somewhere safer", Carlisle answered. "A soft surface will make her feel more comfortable."

Before he'd finished his sentence, Edward was already out the door. He reappeared a few minutes later with a key card in his hand.

"I got us two rooms at a nearby hotel", he said.

"Good, good…" Carlisle poked gently at Alice's unhealed wound, and she squirmed and let out a cry of pain. "I'm sorry, Alice", he apologized. "I need to see how bad it is." He examined the injury carefully. "I don't think it'll heal until the venom has run its course."

Alice whimpered and Jasper tightened his hold on her hand. A particularly sharp wave of pain passed over her then, and Alice couldn't keep from screaming. Then she abruptly went limp.

"Carlisle!" Jasper began in an anguished voice.

"She's alive, Jasper", Edward assured him quickly. "I can still hear her thoughts – they're fragmented, and faint, but they're there."

"And they will stay there", Carlisle declared, rising. "Jasper, carry Alice. Edward, lead the way. Rosalie, the knife."

It was astounding how the fast-paced events and actions of the past hour had faded into the quiet tension that pervaded the atmosphere now. Jasper, carrying Alice, raced after Edward as the mind-reader led the way to the hotel. Carlisle and Esme followed, matching Edward's paced, while Emmett and Rosalie brought up the rear, Rosalie gingerly holding the Vampire Knife.

They ran through the streets so fast all people noticed of their passing was an unnatural wind and a slight blur. They would be talking about it for days, but nothing more than that.

When they entered the room, Jasper gently lowered Alice onto the bed and watched her anxiously for any signs of change in her condition.

"Well?" he asked when Carlisle finished his examination.

Carlisle sighed tiredly. "It looks like the worst of it is over", he started carefully.

"Then why isn't her wound healed?" Emmett asked.

"Give it time", was Carlisle's reply. "It has begun to knit back together. She absorbed a lot of venom into her system."

"So she _will_ be all right?" Jasper pressed.

"She should make a full recovery", Carlisle answered. The rest of the family heaved a great sigh of relief.

"When will she wake up?" Rosalie wanted to know.

"Soon", Carlisle replied. "Don't rush it."

"Well, I don't know about you guys", began Emmett, "But all the fighting has given me an appetite. I think I'll go hunting for a bit. Coming, Rose?"

Rosalie nodded and stood up, going to Emmett's side.

"I'll come with you", Edward said as he too rose. "Just let me call Bella first and let her know Alice is all right."

"No promises." Emmett grinned as Edward rolled his eyes and went into the adjoining room, cell phone in hand.

"Jasper, maybe you should go too", Esme said softly, noticing how dark his eyes here. "I'll stay with Alice."

"No", Jasper insisted stubbornly. "I'm fine. I'll stay with Alice."

"All right, son." Carlisle put his hands on Esme's shoulders. "Why don't we go with Emmett and Rosalie, Esme? Then when we come back Jasper can go." His tone was one that brooked no argument, so Jasper did not protest.

Esme nodded. "Okay."

One by one, the Cullens filed out, leaving Jasper alone with Alice. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, Jasper exhaled deeply, letting his shoulders sag and dropping his head into his hands.

It had been too close. If he had arrived just a few minutes later; if that knife had veered only slightly to Alice's left…he shuddered, glancing at the Vampire Knife which lay still and innocent-looking on the table. He looked back at Alice, to convince himself that she was here, and safe. Without really being aware of what he was doing, he drifted to her side and took her hand in his, waiting for her to wake up.

* * *

**_A/N: Chapter 7! I'm sorry to say this story will be over soon, but I am more than pleased to announce today's reviewers - give it up for _**_The Violet Rose, xXKazaneXx, **and **Rogue903**!**_

**Disclaimer: Hmm...hummm...uh...no.**_**  
**_


	8. Waking Up

**Chapter 8: Waking Up**

The phone rang, and Bella literally flew across the room to grab it from her nightstand. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Edward's number.

"Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"Bella, love." The crackling reception didn't do justice to the velvet voice that came so warmly over the line. Even so, it was still the most beautiful thing Bella had ever heard. She gripped the phone tightly.

"Did you find her? Is she all right? What happened? Are you hurt?" She shot off the questions at top speed.

Edward laughed, and Bella supposed that meant good news. Her heartbeats calmed as a great weight seemed to lift off her shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked again, slower this time.

"We found her." Edward's voice was happy, but with a note of tension in it. Bella caught on at once.

"Is she hurt?"

"Yes. Maria ran the knife through her."

Bella's hissing gasp was the only thing that preceded the realization of what Edward was saying. "Wait, Maria? The vampire who turned Jasper?"

"Yes." Edward's tone was no longer light. It was grim and dark.

"What happened?" Bella demanded again. "I want the full story, Edward – _everything_."

"You'll get it, love", Edward assured her. "Once we come back."

"_Now", _Bella hissed into the phone. He'd _better_ not be planning to leave her hanging without the complete tale like this – God help him if he did.

On the other end, Edward sighed. Bella was being stubborn again, but he wanted to get out of range before Alice came to, so he could give her and Jasper some privacy. And he couldn't possibly talk while he was hunting.

From the other room, Emmett called, "Hey, Edward! Are you coming or not?"

Covering the phone's speaker with his hand, Edward answered, "Yes, Emmett, just give me a minute, please!" Into the phone, he said, "Bella, I can't talk right now. I'm going hunting with Emmett and Rosalie, and Emmett's getting impatient. But I can tell you Alice is all right – or at least, she will be."

"What do you mean, she will be?" Bella exclaimed. "Edward Cullen, don't you _dare _hang up on me!"

Edward smiled at her irritation. "Sorry, love. You'll know everything by tomorrow night", he promised before he ended the call.

Back in Forks, Bella stared at her cell phone. "I can't believe you just did that", she muttered with a murderous glare at the inoffensive device.

* * *

Jasper had been looking out the window, lost in his thoughts, when Alice regained consciousness, so he didn't realize she was awake until she gave his fingers a light squeeze. Instantly, his eyes flew downwards and locked on hers.

"Alice", he breathed, relief flooding through him like a sea. Then he wrapped his arms possessively around her, holding her petite frame tightly to his body. "Alice, Alice, Alice", he said, kissing her hair, then her forehead and cheeks, and finally her lips. "Don't you _ever _do that to me again", he growled when he finally stopped kissing her.

"I'm sorry, Jasper", she said timidly, pressing against him. Jasper concernedly reached up two fingers to trace the healed knife wound on Alice's shoulder. She would always have a scar there, now, but it could have been so much worse…

"Why did you do it, Alice?" he asked. "Why did you take off alone when you knew it was going to be so dangerous? Did you even stop to consider the possibility that you could die?"

Alice lowered her eyes. "Yes", she replied quietly. Jasper felt a new stab of horror and he stared at his wife, aghast.

"And you still left? Alice, why? Were you _trying _to get yourself killed?"

"No", Alice murmured almost inaudibly. "No, that wasn't my intention. But I would have done it, if it kept you safe", she added stubbornly.

"Alice", Jasper sighed. How could he make her understand he didn't want her to risk her life like that, ever? Not even for him?

"Wouldn't you have done the same for me?" Alice questioned, gazing up at him. "If it meant I would live, wouldn't you have given up your life?"

Jasper was at a loss for words. When she put it that way…

"Yes", he responded. "Of course I would, Alice."

"It was the exact same thing for me, Jasper", she told him. "I didn't want to live in a world where you didn't exist, so I decided to change the vision. I was determined to take your place, if I had to."

"You very nearly did", Jasper admonished. "Alice, please don't do that to me again. I don't know if I could handle it."

"I'm sorry, Jasper", Alice said again. "But I'm glad I did it. Everything's all right now." She settled contentedly into his chest and looked at him. "You're thirsty", she said accusingly.

"So are you", Jasper countered, gazing at the dark bruises under her eyes.

Alice's hand flew to her throat. She hadn't noticed she was hungry. "That's funny." She frowned. "I could have sworn I drank enough yesterday to keep me full for at least a week."

"It must have been your injuries", Jasper reasoned. "They took up a lot of energy to heal, especially the one on your shoulder."

"That must be it", Alice agreed. Then she raised her face to his and kissed him passionately on the lips. "Oh, Jasper", she sighed. "I'm so glad you're all right."

Jasper returned her kiss in full, and murmured into her hair, "So am I. For you."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry it's short, but the last chapter was too long to fit in here. Last chapter? Man, this story's almost over. But you can bet I'm not going to stop writing. I'm organizing a subscription list, so to speak, and anyone on it will get an alert and a literary teaser trailer whenever I'm about to post a new story. I know Author Alert works too, but if I know who wants a trailer, I can send it to them. Anonymous reviewers can email me (my address is on my profile) and ask, if they like. Thanks to _**_The Violet Rose, chica1978, Rogue903, darex2xdream, **and **(), **whoever you are. I appreciate all your feedback!**_

**Disclaimer: Yeah...I've gotta say...no.**_**  
**_


	9. Resolving the Problem

**Chapter 9: Resolving the Problem**

Bella tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for the plane to land. Edward had called a couple of hours earlier to tell her they would be arriving soon, and Bella had all but gone straight to the airport then and there. She'd forced herself to wait a few minutes to gather her wits and bag, and then she'd driven her Chevy truck harder than she ever had before. She still wondered if the transmission wasn't shot from going fifty miles an hour.

Beside her, Jacob shifted his position and blinked. "Remind me why I'm here again", he said to her.

"Because I fully intend on dragging the entire story out of Edward the minute he gets here, and I think you should hear it too." Bella did not voice her hope that it might bring the two rivals closer together.

"Come on, Bells", Jacob protested, and Bella's heart soared. He hadn't called her Bells in months. They must be getting somewhere. "Their flight only just landed. It'll be some time before they get through Customs and everything. Why don't we go get something to eat while we wait?"

"_No_", Bella emphasized. She wasn't going anywhere until Edward had performed his neglected duty and told her every single thing about their trip to Marseille. She was just waiting to pounce on him the second he came into view and force the truth out of him.

"Fine", Jacob grumbled. "But I hope they don't take too long. My feet are getting numb from standing so long."

"_You_ complaining about aching feet?" Bella turned to look at Jacob in mock amazement. "It's only been twenty minutes, Jake."

"Oh, really? It seems like at least an hour to me."

"I never took you to be the wimpy type, Jacob Black."

"Who are you calling wimpy? Can _you _stand half-clothed in a blizzard without freezing to death?"

Bella laughed, and Jacob grinned. It felt good to be bantering with each other like this again.

Just then Bella caught sight of Emmett and Rosalie and she stood on the balls of her feet, trying to spot Edward.

"There he is", Jacob told her in a low voice, all hint of his former playfulness gone. Bella sighed. It was going to take a lot more than five minutes of light chatter to make Jacob not hate Edward so much.

Still, it was hard to feel upset when she saw Edward, coming towards her in all his perfect beauty. Bella was just longing to touch his ice-cold skin, to melt into his hard embrace, to kiss those soft, sensuous lips…

Wait a minute. He'd done it _again _– made her forget her train of thought – and he hadn't even touched her yet! Damn his flawless features. Bella wondered if becoming a vampire would make it easier to resist Edward's charm. Somehow, she doubted it.

"Bella, love", Edward greeted her, bending down to kiss her. Again, Jacob looked away.

It took a _lot _of willpower to break away from that kiss and demand to know the whole story, but Bella did it. It did help her focus that Alice was leaning against Jasper not two feet away.

"Edward, no more evasions", Bella insisted. "Tell me what happened."

And despite her obvious eagerness to hear the story, he _still, _infuriatingly, put it off, saying, "Later."

"Edward…" Bella began.

"Wait until we're back at the house, love", Edward interrupted. "Then you'll hear everything. I promise."

There was no arguing with him, so Bella focused her attentions on Alice instead.

"Don't you _dare _do that again!" she exclaimed, pulling the spiky-haired vampire into a tight hug. "Not ever, you hear me? And you said _I_ was suicidal."

"Bella", Alice sighed. "Remember our trip to Volterra last year?"

Bella shuddered. "How could I forget? In fact, your little escapade recreated that same atmosphere for me. Why are you reminding me of it?"

"Because it was the exact same thing", Alice said, reaching out to hold Jasper's hand again. "Only this time, I was in your place."

Bella cast a speculative glance in Edward's direction. "I guess I can forgive you for that. But that doesn't mean you can do it again", she added threateningly. "If you do, I'll…I'll kill you myself."

Alice rolled her eyes as she melted back into Jasper's strong arms. "Bella, don't worry. I've already had to make that promise to just about everyone. Jasper's been extracting it from me every twenty minutes or so."

They made their way outside to Bella's truck. Edward shook his head in disapproval when he saw it.

"Bella…" he began.

"Stop right there", Bella said forcefully. "What else did you expect me to pick you up in?"

"How about my car?" Edward asked. "You know where I keep the keys and I wouldn't have minded at all. In fact, I could probably run back faster than your Chevy."

"Then why don't you?" Bella asked irritably as she slid into the driver's seat.

"Because I missed you, love", Edward answered her as he sat next to her.

"I think I _will _run back", Jacob muttered.

"Jake, you're still coming to the Cullens' house to hear everything – that is, if it's okay with you?" Bella asked, looking at Carlisle.

"Of course", he nodded, his arm about Esme. "We'd be glad to have you there, Jacob."

"Yeah, I'll see you there." With a pointed glance at Edward, Jacob retreated somewhere secluded to phase.

"Who else is running back?" Bella wanted to know.

"Rose and I will race you, Edward", Emmett said, chuckling as Edward scowled at him.

"Cheater", Edward said. Emmett grinned wider and took off, with Rosalie hot on his heels.

"Let's go", Alice said, tugging at Jasper's sleeve.

"Oh, no, you don't", Jasper argued, opening the door that led to the backseat of Bella's truck. "You're not running all the way back to Forks. You and I are going with Bella."

"Jasper", Alice sighed in annoyance. "I'm perfectly _fine_. And Edward's right – this truck _is _slow."

"Hey!" Bella protested.

"Humour me, okay?" Jasper pushed her into the backseat and followed after her. Alice pouted, but she raised no more objections.

"Well, then, Esme and I will run home as well, seeing as there's no space for us." Carlisle smiled at Bella and started running.

"We'll see you soon", Esme said as she followed her husband.

Edward muttered something under his breath.

* * *

When Bella finally pulled up to the driveway of the Cullen residence, naturally, everyone else was already there. Emmett and Jacob, especially, were choking back barely suppressed laughter.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't say anything", Edward muttered darkly.

"Who said we're saying anything? _Were _we planning to say anything?" Emmett asked Jacob in mock puzzlement.

"Hell, no", Jacob chortled. "Not a word."

"Yeah, right", Edward grumbled.

"Don't you believe us?" Emmett asked, wide-eyed with fake innocence.

Edward gave up and stalked inside with Bella. The others followed.

"All right, _now _can you tell me _exactly _what happened in Marseille?" Bella demanded.

Esme looked disapprovingly at Edward. "Have you been keeping her in the dark?" she reproved.

Edward shrugged. "It's not something you can discuss over the phone."

"He's got a point, Esme", Carlisle said. He looked at Bella. "All right, let's begin."

For the next two hours Bella and Jacob were filled in on all the details – how Alice had tracked the Vampire Knife to the deserted building in Marseille; how Aro had located Jacques and notified Carlisle; how Alice had thrown herself in front of Jasper when Maria attacked; how Jasper had fought off Maria and won with the help of Edward and Emmett; how that Customs official had almost made them too late; how Emmett and Rosalie had viciously taken Jacques apart; and how Carlisle had decided, after much deliberation, to hand the Vampire Knife to the Volturi. At this, Bella shot to her feet in alarm.

"Carlisle, you can't give the Vampire Knife to the Volturi!" she exclaimed. "Why, the next time they have reason to pick a fight with you, they'll win for sure."

"That's what I said", Jasper muttered.

"Bella, what else can we do with the knife?" Carlisle queried. "I don't want to keep it, and the Volturi would probably demand that we surrender it to them, anyway. As the oldest and most respected of our kind, and as the closest thing to vampire royalty, they have a right to keep the knife. Aro is content to leave us be, and if we voluntarily offer the Volturi the knife, it will gain us favour in their court."

"Even Jane and Alec?" Bella asked shrewdly.

"Jane and Alec will not do anything without Aro's approval, and Aro is not going to order our extermination anytime soon."

"We're talking about an eternity here, Carlisle", Bella pointed out. "What's to keep Aro from changing his mind?"

"He won't", Edward assured her. "I read his mind while we were in Volterra – he was truly sorry when he thought we would lose Alice. As long as we don't do anything to provoke the Volturi, they'll leave us in peace."

"And that means no trying to get yourself killed", Esme said, looking pointedly at Edward and Alice, who both squirmed while Rosalie nodded emphatically.

* * *

Later, when Bella was finally satisfied with the story, and when she and Edward had gone out for a walk, Alice dragged herself up to the room she shared with Jasper and plopped herself on the bed she never slept on.

"Ahhhh…" she sighed contentedly. It was good to be home. As a wave of love and relief washed over her, she turned slightly to face the doorway, where Jasper was standing, and laughed. "Yes, Jasper, I love you too."

He smiled as he came over to her. "I know." He kissed her hair and murmured, "I've missed you."

"Still feeling sentimental?" Alice teased, kissing him back.

"Maybe." Jasper paused and caressed her cheek before asking, "Do you want to go hunting?"

Alice nodded and beamed. Grabbing his hand, she raced out the door. "Come on, let's go! I want to taste home food again!"

Jasper laughed as he kept pace with her, and together they delved into the woods to find something to eat.

* * *

**_A/N: And...the end. So, the story's over, and so it ends. Fear not, though - I'm working on a _**_Twilight/Harry Potter **fanfic at the moment, so it shouldn't be too long before you've got something else to read. For now, farewell. I've enjoyed having you as my readers.**_

**Disclaimer: I've said it all through the story, so I'll say it one last time: No, I do not own the **_Twilight Saga.__**  
**_


End file.
